AUBURN – The Androscoggin Valley Conservation District will train as many as 30 volunteers to survey roads, driveways and streams throughout the 13.58 square miles of the Taylor Pond watershed this summer and look for erosion.
Those volunteers will visit as many as 1,100 sites in both Auburn and Minot, looking for soil eroding into streams.
“In this case, the end result is the soil goes into Taylor Pond, and that can change the whole chemical balance,” said Phoebe Hardesty of the conservation district. It can change the temperature of the pond, leading to algal blooms and other pollution.
The survey and the training begin on 9 a.m. May 21 at the Thayer Corp. building, 1400 Hotel Road. Volunteers will be trained to distinguish normal geologic erosion from man-made.
“They’re going to identify areas with unstable roads or driveways, or places where culverts are washing out,” Hardesty said. “That’s the kind of accelerated deterioration that we’re concerned with.”
Volunteers will also recommend ways to fix the problems.
The volunteers spend eight hours in the field on May 21, and then are on their own. Each needs to complete another eight hours worth of surveying for the next month.
“Some people like to do it two hours at a time, which is why we give them a month to finish,” she said. “That way it’s not a chore, just a walk in the woods.”
Survey results will be collected by consultants, and Hardesty said she expects them to issue a report on the state of the watershed next spring.
Those interested should contact Hardesty or Jane Heikkinen at 753-9400, ext. 400, for more information.
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